Effervescence
by aaronlisa
Summary: Willow and Kendra on the night of Willow's graduation from high school.


Disclaimer: _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ belong to Joss Whedon and company.

Prompts: Written for Round #116 at femslash_minis for punch_kicker15 who wanted the pairing along with playful teasing, stars and drinks without non-con or character death.

Notes: Set during an AU Season Three where the Mayor never happened, Kendra didn't die at the end of Season Two but Buffy still ran away.

It's a quiet night on the Hellmouth and although she knows that they should be worried about that, Willow can't find it in herself to care. Instead she allows herself to giggle, even if it's completely inappropriate because they're in a graveyard and they've been drinking champagne. But how many times does a girl get to graduate high school as the valedictorian and a bright future waiting ahead of her? Even though she feels fuzzy (in a good way), Willow's certain that things like that only happen once.

She graduated high school as the valedictorian and all of her friends survived too. It's something worthy of drinking champagne and getting all fuzzy and bubbly about. She giggles as Kendra wraps an arm around her waist. Willow smiles at the Slayer. Whenever she's with Kendra, she feels like there's nothing that she can't do.

"You've had too much to drink," Kendra quietly says as she pulls the nearly empty bottle of champagne out of Willow's hand.

"And you haven't had enough," Willow says before pressing a kiss on Kendra's cheek.

Kendra rolls her eyes but drains the bottle. Willow giggles and for a moment it feels like her veins are full of the bubbly alcohol. Who knew that Cordelia would be so generous and provide such expensive champagne for their graduation party?

"We should have taken a second bottle," Willow says with a smile.

Kendra shakes her head as she pulls Willow closer. She kisses Willow on the lips and Willow thinks that maybe, just maybe, Kendra's right (like always). A second bottle would have dulled her senses to the point where she wouldn't enjoy kissing her girlfriend.

Kendra pulls Willow down to the ground and they sit there on the slightly damp grass, hands entwined as they look up at the night sky. The stars seem so bright and close and Willow knows that when she moves back east for school, she's going to miss this. She's going to miss these private moments with Kendra where it's almost like they're the only two people in the world.

Her girlfriend presses her lips against the back of her neck and Willow shivers.

"You seem a million miles away," Kendra says, her lips almost against her neck.

The sensation makes Willow shiver again and she almost wishes that this moment would never end.

"No, I'm right here with you," Willow says. Her voice breathless because Kendra's slipped her hands underneath her thin top.

For a while the pair forget all about graduation and champagne as they find ways to make the other sigh and feel a certain effervescent that has nothing to do with expensive champagne.

Their relationship had come as a surprise. Kendra had stayed in Sunnydale after Buffy had run. She had stayed even after Giles had located Buffy. And while Kendra never really warmed towards Xander or Cordelia, she had befriended Willow almost from the start. Perhaps it was because Willow had saved her when Drusilla had attacked the library in a desperate attempt to stop Willow from cursing Angelus with his soul. Perhaps it was because, Willow had a healthy respect for doing things by the rules and researching. Or perhaps it was some combination of those two things and a few others.

Before long Kendra was asking Willow to accompany her when she did her nightly patrols. Quietness had turned into playful teasing as Willow learned more about Kendra and realized that the other girl, despite being a Slayer, wasn't actually uptight but was rather nervous about being in a foreign country, surrounded by people who had lived normal lives and hadn't been immersed from a young age into the darkness and evil of the world.

Soon enough Kendra was teasing Willow right back and then one night, they had kissed. It had been an accident of sorts. They had been out-numbered by a nest of vampires and they had come very, extremely close to death. When they had staked the last vampire, they had fallen into one another arms, Willow trying not to cry and Kendra trying not be angry with her carelessness. Willow's never quite sure who kissed who first but one moment, they were holding one another, trying to convince the other that everything was okay and then the next, their lips were pressed against one another in a very chaste kiss.

And Willow had known and so had Kendra. And from that moment, they were together.

Willow shivers as the night air cools her body down. Kendra gives her a wicked smile.

"I think you only love me because I am always warm," Kendra says as she cuddles with Willow.

"Never," Willow says with a smile. "But perhaps we should go home, where it's warm and less chances of a vampire attack."

Kendra smiles at her before nodding in agreement. Even now, they shyly dress one another under the night sky.

"I wish you could come with me," Willow says wistfully.

"Afraid I will find someone better while you're gone?" Kendra innocently asks.

Willow pokes her in the ribs. "You should be afraid that I'll find some angry feminist who will take me under her wing."

For a moment, they're serious as they stand in front of one another, weighing the other words. Willow hadn't wanted to go away for university but Kendra and Giles had convinced her that it would be for the best.

Kendra doesn't say anything as she wraps her arm around Willow and for a moment, Willow allows herself the luxury of feeling safe in her lover's arms.

"Make Buffy pay for taking her sweet time in coming back,' Willow says when they pull apart. "Remind her that I could have been completely selfish and insisted that you come with me."

"I will," Kendra says, even though they both know that she won't.

"Let's go home," Willow says. "I'm packed and my flight's not until seven o'clock tomorrow night, I want to make some memories that will last me until December."

Kendra smiles and for now it's enough.

((END))


End file.
